


Between

by PurpleMockingbird



Category: The Wilds (TV 2020)
Genre: F/F, also a little bit of a character study, an alternate take, protective!Toni, what could've happened if the writers of The Wilds were saps like me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:54:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28247250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurpleMockingbird/pseuds/PurpleMockingbird
Summary: "Toni doesn’t know why she moves. She just does."This is an alternate take on what happened when Leah accused Shelby. It's kind of a different look on why Toni always gets into fights.Also - I'm a sap for a protective gay.
Relationships: Shelby Goodkind/Toni Shalifoe
Comments: 11
Kudos: 400





	Between

Toni doesn’t know why she moves. She just does.

Maybe it’s an instinct – because she can see the crazy in Leahs eyes and real fear in Shelbys. And Toni has known crazy for a long time - has seen it often enough in foster homes and even earlier than that in her own mothers’ eyes, pupils pinpoint needles, high off of drugs that make you paranoid. Fear is natural when confronted with that. 

What very few people realize is that with all the anger and violence that surrounds Toni, it’s pretty often there because she’s protecting someone.

If you asked her now why she’s standing in front of Shelby Goodkind, putting herself right between someone unstable and a person she supposedly hates – she would have no idea what to say. But, lucky for her, in-depth questioning never happens in situations like this. They mirror reflexes more than consciousness. 

She can feel Shelby behind her. She’s close. When Leah moves forward now shouting at Toni to get out of her way, Toni steps back and collides with Shelby, feeling shaking hands hold onto the back of her hoodie. 

She holds her hands are now placatingly in front of her, voice pleading with Leah. In the corner of her eye she sees Marty stepping forward but shoots her a look that tells her to stop. Marty shouldn’t be involved in this. Not one thought goes into whether Toni herself should be.

She hears Shelby from behind her telling Leah she has no idea what she’s talking about. And when Leah doesn’t stop screaming questions at her, only gets louder, Toni yells back “SHE JUST SAID SHE DOESN’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT”. 

Toni feels the hands on her back disappear as Leah yanks her forward at the collar of her hoodie, yelling about her being in on it. She’s not – in on it. Whatever It is but she’s been accused of so much shit she hasn’t done, that she doesn’t even fight it. No – in that moment Toni feels relief. 

Aggression towards her – THAT is her home game – that shit is where she LIVES. At least it was before she came to this island. It’s surprisingly easy how at home she still feels in that role.

After Leah starts shaking her, she has half of a mind to finally start a real fight. She kind of can’t wait for it, familiar adrenalin cursing through her veins. But in the corner of her eye she sees Shelby step out from behind her and yelling for Leah to stop – that she has to let Toni go if she wants to know what’s going on. So she does and Leahs attention is fully back on Shelby.

When Shelby takes out her dentures and looks so broken and embarrassed, as if a big life-shattering secret had just been revealed, Toni feels like she wants to step in front of her again. Not to shield her from the eyes of this group of young women. None of them were the problem right now, not even Leah – no – she wants to shield her from whatever or whoever made it SO unacceptable to be in any way shape or form other than picture perfect.

When Shelby runs off, Toni is about to take off after her when the harsh tone of Marthas voice makes her stop and look at her. 

“Why is it, that if there is a fight you’re always in the middle of it?”

She can hear how tired Martha is and she can almost make out the disappointment in there too. 

“I just..” ‘..wanted to protect her’, gets stuck in her throat.

Consciousness and reality sink back in and Toni sees how this might look to Marty. Choosing an opportunity to fight over even her own dislike for Shelby. 

Whatever it was, that made her do this, it wasn’t that. That much Toni knows, so she just shoots an apologetic look at Martha and walks towards where Shelby went to. Toni has experience physically protecting people – previous foster siblings, her girlfriend at the time, kids at school – but how can she protect someone from the own fucked up values they were brought up in?


End file.
